Spring 2004 Children's Books

While Spring hasn't officially sprung outside, publishers are already in high gear with this season's releases. Some of the new titles are already on bookstore shelves and others are soon to follow. A few trends we've noticed: the spring lists seem a little less science-fiction/fantasy oriented than we've been seeing recently, though that might be only a brief hiatus, as the fall season will welcome titles from big names in this genre. Some eagerly awaited sequels from Lois Lowry, E.L. Konigsburg, Georgia Byng, Terry Pratchett, Janet Tashjian, Isabel Allende and Gary Paulsen are on their way, as are new titles from award winners like Sharon Creech, Linda Sue Park, Kevin Henkes and Jean Fritz.

Expect a little controversy later in the season, as Melvin Burgess's much-discussed YA novel, Doing It, which was excoriated in England by Children's Laureate Anne Fine, arrives on these shores. And two comedians—Billy Crystal and Jay Leno—try their hands at their first picture books this spring.

Along with a look at the titles being published this season (and a sneak peek at the fall), we offer three features. The first takes a look at book fairs, and if they are worth the time and trouble it takes for booksellers to hold them. We also examine the art of handselling children's books, and editors tell us about a book they published that never got the attention they felt it deserved. And in our interview with British novelist Kevin Brooks, we learn about his nearly successful career as a songwriter and musician while on the road to becoming a children's book author.

Happy reading!

Publishers A-Z